Description
Until Côte d’Ivoire’s civil war (2002–2007), Baule village life was regularly punctuated by entertainment masquerades. Such spectacles included masks that were idealized portraits honoring living members of the community. They were attached to a cloth costume and worn by a man—including the female mask displayed here—while the person portrayed typically danced beside him. In addition to individualized traits in its hairstyle and scarifications, this mask’s high forehead symbolizes intelligence and its downcast eyes suggest an introspective disposition.
Provenance
Paul Bedia (died 1958), Abidjan, Ivory Coast [invoice from Hélène and Philippe Leloup dated May 24, 1988 in curatorial file]. Henri Kamer (died 1992), Paris, France, by Oct. 1958 [published as “Collection Henri Kamer” in L’Art de l’Afrique noire, 1958, p. 28, cat. 106, plate xiv]. Philippe and Hélène (ex-Kamer) Leloup, Helene & Philippe Leloup, Inc., African and Primitive Art, New York, N.Y.; sold to the Art Institute, 1988.
Accession Number
90248
Medium
Wood, copper alloy, and pigment
Dimensions
28.6 × 18.1 × 12.7 cm (11 1/4 × 7 1/8 × 5 in.)
Classification
masks
Credit Line
The Art Institute of Chicago, Ada Turnbull Hertle Endowment